Gestational Diabetes is a disease occurring during pregnancy. Although this type of diabetes usually disappears once the baby is born, women with Gestational Diabetes have a 10 to 50% probabilty of developing Type 2 Diabetes within 5 to 10 years. Maintaining appropriate body weight and increasing physical activity may help to lower the risk.
Gestational Diabetes occurs approximately in 3 to 8 percent of all pregnant women. Just as in Type 2 Diabetes, Gestational Diabetes occurs more often in some ethnic groups and in women with family histories of diabetes.
Why diabetes occurs during pregnancy has not yet been explained. Researchers know that the placental hormones, necessary and beneficial for the foetus, decrease the effectiveness of insulin, thus increasing insulin resistance, one of the underlying causes of diabetes. Gestational Diabetes is, therefore, caused by hormonal changes during pregnancy and a relative lack of insulin. Women with Gestational Diabetes need not have any symptoms, so all pregnant women are tested for diabetes.
How does diabetes affect pregnancy?
If Gestational Diabetes is present during pregnancy, the foetus becomes bigger thanks to the increased glucose levels (macrosomia). This may result in complications at the time of delivery and greater incidence of injuries to both mother and child. The children of women with badly managed diabetes are at greater risk of becoming obese in the future.